


Birthday Candy

by panda_shi



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Growing Up, High School, M/M, Past Lives, Reminiscing, Ten Years Later Verse (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23714164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_shi/pseuds/panda_shi
Summary: It all started with Gokudera fishing for something - anything - in his pocket to pass as a birthday gift. Years later, the tradition lived on.
Relationships: Gokudera Hayato/Yamamoto Takeshi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	Birthday Candy

**Author's Note:**

> **Reposting. Written in 2008. Minor edits made.**

Tradition was a funny thing, Gokudera thought, recalling how the whole rather ridiculous - yet precious - thing started.

Gokudera _never_ _knew_ up until a hoard of girls approached Yamamoto during break time and flooded him with presents. Tsuna had all but chuckled bemusedly at a distance - somewhat flailing in the middle a bit when he got shoved aside by a girl who was trying to get to Yamamoto - voicing what was already the obvious.

"Ah, Yamamoto sure is popular."

Gokudera was already waving an arm at the girl who dared shoved the Tenth, scowling the whole time, said scowl being thrown at the athlete's direction. Gokudera hissed a bit as Yamamoto laughed and graciously accepted the presents and well wishes, smiling and being his normal cheery, charming self. Gokudera found it downright ridiculous, over the top, that he could have sworn the paint was peeling from all the ha-ha-ha-thank-you-how-kind-of-you-to-remember smiles and chuckles.

"Hnn. Come on Tenth. Let's leave the baseball idiot to his own ... _famiglia,_ " Gokudera grumbled mockingly, turning his back on the athlete and walking down the school hallway for some much needed goddamn peace and quiet. The girls' squeals were driving him insane, as it is, what with their over exaggerated volume.

"Ahh, Gokudera-kun, don't be like that." Tsuna shook his head and followed suite. "It is his birthday after all." Tsuna knew better than to ask Gokudera if he got Yamamoto anything at all, let alone if he wished Yamamoto a happy birthday yet.

"Birthdays are for kids. Like the Stupid-Cow," Gokudera muttered and continued walking till he was in the quiet area of the playground before he promptly lit a cigarette. "The only important birthday is the Tenth's birthday."

Tsuna didn't bother to say much after that, merely giving Gokudera a bit of a sheepish look, deciding that perhaps silence was the best. So they sat there, against the wall of the building overlooking the playground, Tsuna eating his lunch and Gokudera inhaling his cigarettes till the bell rang and break-time was over.

Apparently the gift giving didn't let up till the end of the day.

By then, Yamamoto was lugging around an interestingly misshapen very large bag filled with trinkets and home made chocolates and candy. Gokudera was once again scowling over Tsuna's head at the still smiling teen. Did Yamamoto not see how stupid this whole thing was, or what?

"Maa, maa, Gokudera-kun, it's okay. The bag isn't that big," Tsuna chuckled a bit.

"People are _looking_ , Tenth. It is a disgrace to the Vongola to look like a fool," Gokudera muttered.

And indeed, people were looking at the large disposable bag that Yamamto had over his shoulder, the teen looking like twisted parody of St. Nicholas. "Hmmm, I wonder why." Yamamoto looked around, genuinely curious. Totally oblivious.

The idiot.

Tsuna had to hold his hands up to try to pacify Gokudera just as they took a turn towards Tsuna's home street. "Ahh, Gokudera-kun, it's okay. He can't just throw it away, you know?"

"And why not?" Gokudera twisted his lips a bit to the side, cocking an eyebrow. Really, Yamamoto was embarrassing Tsuna by looking like a loon. Tsuna got embarrassed often enough, he didn't need it from his - and this Gokudera bit his tongue - own _Famiglia_. "I do so all the time. Surely you have no use for all the junk they give you."

"No," Yamamoto said, evenly, calmly, serenely. "I don't. But it's bad form and disrespectful to throw away good food. The little things can always be donated anyway." He laughed a bit. "That and they went through all the trouble, it wouldn't be really polite to disrespect the girls after they took the time to get me something."

Tsuna smiled.

Gokudera scowled. "Hnn. Suit yourself."

Once they were by the gates of Sawada residence, Tsuna took out an envelope and handed it to Yamamoto. "Happy Birthday, Yamamoto," Tsuna said, smiling. "I didn't really know what to get you, but I figured that might be more useful to you than anything."

Gokudera found himself swelling with pride at the perfection that was the Tenth. Always caring for his subordinates, always remembering the important things, always bothering to go the extra mile for his _Famiglia_.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was truly a worthy man of being the Tenth and the head of the Vongola Family.

He was just about to praise Tsuna for his good form and effort - and at the same time demand that Yamamto show his proper thanks and gratitude towards the Tenth - when Yamamoto gave a whoop and was suddenly _grinning_. Not that weird, painted or stickered on smile Yamamoto directed to the horde of girls earlier in school.

"Ah, Tsuna, thank you!" Yamamto said with undiluted joy, staring at a gift voucher to one of the best sports equipment dealer within the district.

Tsuna merely smiled at the obvious happiness radiating off of Yamamoto before Tsunade bid them both good bye. Brown eyes strayed towards Gokudera, giving him a small and slightly pointed look before turning away to head back to his house.

Gokudera somewhat felt a tad bit ashamed, because he knew that look, that slightly disappointed and it's-useless look coming from Tsuna. How can he be the Tenth's right hand man when he clearly disappointed his own boss by being ... well, nonchalant about things that people were supposed to be nonchalant about?

Gokudera promptly shoved his hands in to his pockets, searching for _something_ as they continued to approach the intersection where he and Yamamoto usually parted ways. He managed to pull out a candy, one of those fruity flavored ones. It was the candy he purposely took from Lambo because the goddamn Stupid-Cow was being completely, utterly moronic and annoying. 

"Oi, Baseball-Idiot!" Gokudera called out, tossing the green candy towards him.

Yamamoto caught it with ease and blinked at the small candy in his calloused palms then back up at Gokudera. "This is-"

"Happy birthday, idiot," He grumbled darkly, feeling a large part in him gag and scream in protest.

This was for the Tenth's sake, really. He was only doing this so that he wouldn't disappoint Tsuna.

Gokudera just wasn't expecting the bright smile - possibly brighter than what he gave Tsuna earlier - to be directed at him as the taller teen unwrapped the candy and plopped the round green sweet in to his mouth. "Thank you," He said, candy pressed against his inner cheek.

Gokudera felt his cheeks heat up and he scowled darkly. It was the scowl that was enough to make enemies and bullies cower but the blush ruined the effect.

"Hnn! Foolish idiot," He sniffed, and turned around and continued on his way home. He didn't need to turn around to see how Yamamoto was still smiling at his retreating back. A small part of him - a tiny, microscopic sized thing that he squished down viciously - pointed out that it was nice to have such open honesty and innocence directed solely on him. If he ignored the mountain pile of protests his brain was conjuring up, Gokudera could have sworn he felt a bit and oddly ... _warm_.

Years later - amidst the blood, cold fights, wipe outs and dark deals - Gokudera found himself approaching Yamamoto - not for the first time since then - in the locker rooms of their temporary base, the blood washed off and clad in a once again pristine suit, hair still wet from the shower. "Oi," He said, making Yamamoto glance up from where he was sitting on the bench, wrapped in a towel and wet from his shower, sticking a band-aid in place on his palm.

"Hey." Yamamoto nodded, eyes still ironically warm despite the dark world they live in, innocence barely preserved, but somewhat shining through whenever members of the Vongola would approach him - a remnant of what he once was.

On some days, Gokudera could have sworn it made something in him clench a bit.

The life of a hit-man was never easy after all.

"Here," Gokudera took out a small cellophane wrapped chocolate, expensive, an imported brand, looking far too fancy for his taste and didn't toss it at the seated man, but instead, gently placed it on the bandaged palm. "Happy birthday."

And as always - like the past decade and more - Yamamoto unwrapped the sweet treat and popped it in to his mouth, chewed and swallowed. Only then did he smile - the smile not as bright as it was when they were still in school - but definitely brighter than what he usually showed. There was innocence there, a small tiny and stubborn flame that simply refused to go out no matter what.

(A life of bloodshed and politics will never preserve innocence completely, even when it was with people like Yamamoto.)

"Thank you, Gokudera," He said softly, bright and warm and appreciating smile directed at Gokudera - because Gokudera bothered, Gokudera went through the trouble, because Gokudera was precious to him when he's lost so much already.

The smile, Gokudera admired, because he himself was incapable of smiling. Those days were long gone. There was no time or place in their currently world for smiles. It made Yamamoto's extremely rare smiles and laughs all the more precious to him, a break from the dark world they lived and fought in.

This time, however, instead of scowling or walking away, Gokudera smirked - the closest thing he could manage to a smile - and reached out slowly to press fingers against Yamamoto's warm cheek, heated look in dark green and much sharper eyes. Yamamoto was warm, always warm, never cold.

"You're welcome."

**Author's Note:**

> Eh.


End file.
